


The Life in Your Years

by Dazzledfirestar



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Surprises, birthdays are hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-09
Updated: 2014-06-09
Packaged: 2018-02-04 01:00:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1761281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dazzledfirestar/pseuds/Dazzledfirestar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil doesn't really see the point of celebrating without the important people around for his birthday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Life in Your Years

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a dear friend's birthday. I hope you like it, Kiwi! <3

He was going to ignore it. All of it. It’d be easy too. Natasha and Clint were on a mission. Nick was at a budget ‘retreat’ with some bureaucrats—he’d called it hell with room service and threatened to bring Phil along but apparently that wasn’t in the budget. The irony had been too thick even for Nick—and though Maria and Melinda had both made low, humming noises about taking him for dinner, he’d quickly glared that idea down.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like birthdays exactly. It was nice to know he’d made it through another year but he didn’t really feel like it warranted throwing a big party or blowing extra money on dinner. He’d indulge in a personal favorite of his and a drink after and call it another day. That had been the plan for that particular date for years now. Well, with the exception of when he turned forty and, in a drunken moment of brilliance he, Melinda and John decided to drag Nick to Chuck-E-Cheese as their ‘guardian’. It hadn’t really gotten out of hand until Victoria, Jasper and Felix showed up.

Who knew Chuck-E-Cheese was licensed?

But this year wasn’t going to be an example of alcohol fueled skeeball skills. If more of his friends had been in the country, maybe he would have caved and gone out. He’d have enjoyed it too, he was sure of that, despite the protests. But with so many of the important people in his life scattered across the globe, it didn’t feel like the right time to do something festive.

That’s what he told Maria as he packed up for the night. They’d do something when everyone was back. Or nearly everyone. Yes, that new Moroccan place sounded like a great idea and yes, she knew their schedules better than he did so she should probably make the reservations. She shook her head a little and leaned in. “Try to have a happy birthday, Phil.”

He smiled back. “I’ll have a happy birthday when everybody’s here. Fair enough?”

“It’ll have to do.”

Phil smiled a little wider and left. The drive home wasn’t bad. It was early enough to avoid the usual evening social crowd and most people were home from work already. The apartment was dark when he opened the door. Not surprising, really. Neither were the notes and packages on the kitchen table. Natasha’s care package of donuts from the good place in Chelsea. Jasper’s note that he’d take him for breakfast at a diner he found in Jersey a few week ago. Best pancakes on the eastern seaboard apparently. Clint’s bottle of scotch—the good kind, aged and everything, according to the scrawl on the note—waiting for when the archer would get back. They had a tradition after all, good scotch and bad movies. He was pretty sure this bottle would witness a rewatching of Howard the Duck. Natasha and Nick were both threatening to supervise this time. He had a suspicion they just wanted to see how bad the movies could get.

It wasn’t until he’d finished looking at the label of the bottle—Clint really had outdone himself—that he noticed a flicker of light out on the terrace. If he weren’t home alone, it wouldn’t have been that odd but since Nick was on the other side of the country, he reached for his sidearm and moved toward the door.

He lowered the gun and his jaw dropped at the sight that greeted him.

The small table they’d put out there for drinks and tablets and work related stuff was draped with a white table cloth and set with what looked to be the good china Nick had once said they’d use eventually. On it looked to be the efforts of a very long day of prep work and cooking.

Two hands landed on his hips a moment later. “Put the gun away.” Nick’s voice was more amused than Phil had heard it in recent memory. 

“What’s all this?”

“This is venison steak with a grain mustard sauce, roasted potatoes and a good bottle of Cabernet.” Nick kissed the side of his neck and Phil could feel him smile. “And if you want, there’s a birthday cheesecake in the fridge.”

“You’re supposed to be in California.” Phil turned around and smiled up at him.

Nick shrugged and finally pressed a kiss to his lips. “I told them there was an emergency I had to get back to New York for.”

“An emergency.”

“I couldn’t let you starve out here.”

“I love you too.”

“Happy birthday, Phil.” Nick kissed him again, longer and just a little deeper than the first time before he pulled away. “Sit. Eat.”

“You joining me?”

“Of course.” Nick slipped around him and sat in the far chair, pouring the wine as Phil shook his head and took his own seat.

“Guess it’s a good thing I didn’t take Melinda and Maria up on dinner.” He chuckled as he picked up his knife.

Nick smirked and took a sip of his wine. “I could have worked around that.”

“They’d get called back, wouldn’t they?”

“No.” He took a bite of the potatoes. “I just would have had to get more venison.”

Phil laughed, the tension of the day melting away as he cut into the meat. “We will do something when everyone else gets back though, right?”

“Will I have to cook?”

“Natasha will probably insist.” Phil smirked and Nick nodded with a laugh.

“Then yes. Yes, we will absolutely do something when everybody gets back.”


End file.
